Public Policy

In the United States, we often undervalue the role good policy can play in helping to support nascent industries that promise significant growth. If entrepreneurs and investors are going to devote years of their lives and tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and commercialize transformative ideas, they need stable, clear policies they can count on. This is particularly true in sectors like clean technology and life sciences.

When I first arrived in Silicon Valley in 1986, my division at DSC Communications employed 1,300 people. Of those, roughly 1,000 were in manufacturing. We built everything from printed circuit boards to full communications systems. We also bought circuit boards from a number of outside sources, all located locally.